New Delhi, January 20: Ahead of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ram temple in Ayodhya, Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on today, January 20, announced that it will be closed till 2:30 pm on January 22. A circular in this regard has been issued, directing all the chiefs of centres, heads of the departments, units, and branch officers at Delhi AIIMS to bring this to the notice of all staff working under them.
Although the Delhi AIIMS said all critical clinical services shall remain functional, the move did not go well with many including the opposition parties. Reacting to the circular, TMC's Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale made a stinging remark on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Gokhale posted on X: "India’s largest Govt Hospital AIIMS Delhi will remain closed till 2:30pm on Monday. There’s literally people sleeping outside in the cold at AIIMS gates waiting for an appointment. The poor and dying can wait because priority is given to Modi’s desperation for cameras and PR."
Opposition Leaders' On AIIMS Delhi Half-Day Closure Decision:
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said she wonders if Lord Ram would agree that health services are disrupted to welcome him. She wrote: "Hello humans, Please don’t go into a medical emergency on 22nd , and if you do schedule it for post 2pm since AIIMS Delhi is taking time off to welcome Maryada Purushottam Ram." "So who is to be thanked for those whose lives will be lost due to lack of treatment?" Congress's BV Srinivas asked in Hindi.
Outrage On X Over AIIMS Delhi Circular
A journalist also pointed out that patients are sleeping outside the Delhi AIIMS waiting for their turn to get the treatment. He wrote: "Much of India’s top public hospital AIIMS in New Delhi is shutting half day Monday for opening of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. For context patients right now can be seen sleeping on road outside waiting for their turn in extreme cold temperatures. Has it happened earlier? On Diwali?"
"Like governance is put down in India. No one to get ill," an advocate remarked sarcastically. Amid the outrage, some defended the move. "People outraging over AIIMS circular on January 22 need to calm down. As it is a one off special event, there is a special circular. Otherwise, in terms of functioning for half a day, I guess, it would be no different from the way it works on a regular national holiday," a user commented.
